The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-10-25
Stephen w. RawSOn, a Wealthy
Banker, Shot by His
StepsOn.
The Bankers Wife and Mother
of the Boy Given as
the Cause.
Supreme Indifference When Told
of the ShOOting-The
Particulars.

people at the church door of one of the
most fashionable congregations in Chicago
yesterday, gray haired millionaire bank
President was remorsely shot down by his
stepsoD, to avenge or SHIELD a woman
charged with continued adultery. The
woman was no less person than Mrs.
Meckle Rswson, wife of the banker shot
and mother of the assailant. The banker
is Stephen w. Rawson, President of the
Union Trust Company, Of Chicago. Will
liam Lee, aged IL, is the step son. Banker
Rawson, with FIVE bullets in his body and
apparently in a dyin: condition, was
hastily picked off the blood-spattered
curb and bundled into one of the score of
carriages that had been waiting for the
wealthy worshipers. Young Lee, with an
empty, still smoking revolver in hand, was
hurriedly thrown into a strikingly different
conveyance, the blue painted, commonplace
wagon of the nearest patrol that came rat
thing around the corner. Away went the
carriage in one direction off in the other
dashed the patrol, while all around, on the
streets and sidewalks. gaped the horror
stricken attendants of the five great church
es in the vicinity just pouring out after the
mornings praise of Him who commanded,
"Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not COM
NIT adultery"
AT THE CHURCH DOOR.
Slowly the crowd began to recover their
dazed senses and recall in detail the fear
full circumstances of the crime. Young
Lee had been seen for half an hour pre-
viuus pacing the stone sidewalk on Ash
land avenue near Madison, fronting the
Third Presbyterian church. This is the
church of which DR.. Withrow, recently
from Boston, is pastor, and which became
widely known as the charge of DIR. Kilt
ridge, now located in New York. Of this
church Banker Rawson has long been a
leading light, and was still an honored
member, notwithstanding that he has been
charged by his wife with perjury and other
offenses enough to make him, if true, a
verified, whited sepulcher. He, on the
other hand, alleged she, although promi-
nent 10 society and beautiful woman in
appearance, was really a disreputable,
blasphemous, devilish tempered adventur-
ess, who coveted only his money. For a
year or more the two have been fighting
each other In the divorce courts, and with
ia a week the banker has filed against her
additional charges of adultery.
THE TRAGEDY.
Little attention had been paid to young
Lee as he stalked backward and forward
past the church entrance. He was lost in
the crowd when the gayly dressed congre-
CATION began TO come out, among them
the well-known form of the bank Presi-
dent Mr.. Rawson was about to step to
his carriage, when, breaking the sweet
majestic tones of the great organ, came
the sharp crack of a revolver, followed
by a deep groan. An earthquake could
scarcely have produced more confusion at
the moment among the throngs of gentle
men, ladies and children, and the long
tiers of carriages and coachmen that lined
the sidewalks in every direction. A din of
screams began, but subsidized almost in
stantly. Slender, well-dressed, youthful |
Lee was seen to quickly but coolly steady |
bis shining pistol with his left hand,
while with his right he again and again |
pulled the fatal trigger.
With the stiaed cry, "Tm killed." the |
aged millionaire fell Frustrated on the stone |
flags, upturning his agonized white face at
the cold, set countenance of his stepson. 1
Not till the last of the five chambers had |
been emptied into the old mans body did |
Lee seem to breathe. The crowd seemed |
rooted to the stones in horror, helpless, till |
a policeman came running to the scene. |
Then Lee, turning to the officer. hoarsely |
whispered "Take me to Jail, quick 1t
seemed scarcely a moment till the patrol
wagon bore him away.
When the dying banker reached his
L Id
probed for the bullets, and found that all
had lodged in the legs and arms, save one,
that entered near the small Of the back,
through his abdomen. Ii his life was saved |
it would be little short of miracle.
THE ASSASSIN INTERVIEWED.
When, shortly afterward, young Lee, in
his cell at the police station saw a report
er approaching, he jumped up abruptly
and, without waiting question, declared /:
81 have nothing whatever to say except
that ] am entirely responsible. 1t was
wholly my own set. My mother knows alb
solutely nothing of it."
When pressed for his motive, Lee would
first only say "You know we'll what's been
in the papers"
Being further urged, he burst out "He
tried to prove my mother an adulteress and
an adventures. Now he wanted to make
my sister bastard, and that's all L will
say"
THE WOMAN IN THE CASE.
The career of the young mans no other is
in many respects remarkable. She has
been married several times, was divorced
once, and, as a department clerk in the
Government service ct Washington, is un
derstood to have beeh concerned in some
decidedly sensational incidents. 1t was as
the possessor of considerable real estate in
Chicago that she first became acquainted
with Rawson. Their marriage soon fol-
lowed. That was about i've or six years
ago. Rawsou is 81 years old and, his wife